Railway-track construction.



'J. W. STEPHENSON.

RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 8, 1911.

1,093,1 53. Patented Apr. 14, 19M

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J. w; STEPHENSON. RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION TILED APR. 8, 1911.

1,093, 1 53. Patented Apr. 14, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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K A in JOHN W. STEPHENSON, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS GOIVIPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RAILWAY-TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. STEPHEN- son, a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway- Traek Construction, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan view showing my invention applied to a rail brace; Fig. 2 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a side View partly broken away; Fig. i is a view similar to Fig. 1, but partly broken away and also showing a modification; Fig. 5 is aside view of the structure shown in Fig. i; and Figs. 6 and 7 are, respectively, side views of the two forms of brace members shown in the other figures.

My invention has relation to railway track construction, and is designed to provide means of simple and effective character by which a rail bracing or joint member may be rigidly and positively secured in its seated position.

Owing to the more or less continual jar and vibration to which railway track structures are subjected, great difficulty has been experienced in providing a fastening which would not quickly work loose. Heretofore, even when fastenings of such character have been provided, they have been open to the objection that their proper application depended more or less upon the skill and care of the workman, and it has been found that this can not be relied upon to insure aproper initial application.

My invention provides simple and positive securing means which can not be affected by vibration and which is of such a charactor that it must necessarily be correctly applied in the first instance.

The invention is an improvement upon the track fastening which is described and claimed in my pending application, Serial No. 609,507, filed February 18, 1911.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates a track rail, and 3 a tie plate which extends transversely underneath the base of the rail. This plate is provided with lips or projections 4;, to engage one edge of the rail base, and at the opposite side of the rail is formed with an upwardly eX- tending undercut projection 5, whose in- Patented Apr. 14, rare. Serial No. 619,874.

clined undercut face is also inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rail.

6 designates a rail brace having a head portion, which is adapted to seat upwardly underneath the head of the rail and having a foot portion which is shown as fitting the base flange of the rail with an outward ex tension having a beveled face 7, which is adapted to engage the undercut inclined face of the projection 5. The rail brace is also formed with a bendable locking projection 8. To receive this projection, the tie plate is formed with the portion 9 having an opening 10, extending therethrough, this opening being first curved downwardly from its entrance end and thence upwardly to its exit end at 11.

The brace is placed between the projection 5 and the rail and is driven or sledged to its seat, being wedged firmly between the inclined undercut face of said projection and the rail. During this driving operation, the locking projection 8 enters the opening 10, and by reason of the curved walls of the said opening, is bent into the form substantially as shown in Fig. 3, so that it is caused to have a clenching engagement with the portion 9 of the tie plate. The opening 10 is provided with suitable clearances at the points 12, so as to permit some subsequent further driving and tightening of the brace member, should it be necessary.

It will be seen that the operation of drivin the brace member to its seat, of itself, efiects the clenching of the locking projection 8, so that no special care or attention on the part of the workman is required.

In the modification of my invention shown in Figs. 4:, 5 and 7, the construction is the same as that just described, except that the locking projection 8 of the brace member, instead of being arranged horizontally fiatwise, as in the form first described, is arranged in inclined vertical position, and the opening 10 in the tie plate which effects the bending and clenching of the end portion of said projection is correspondingly arranged.

Then it is desired to remove the brace for any purpose, this can be readily done by sledging against the opposite side of the brace member with sufficient force to straighten out the bent or clenched portion of the locking projection. I preferably provide the brace member with the driving bosses or surfaces 13.

It will be readily understood that my invention is not limited to brace members of the particular form which I have herein shown and described, and that it may also be applied to other track members or adjuncts, such "as oints and the like. The invention provides a positive and secure fastening which is wholly independent of bolts or nuts or other separate fastening means of a character to become loose in service, and as above stated, it also provides a fastening the correct application of which is not dependent upon the skill or care of a workman.

I do not claim herein broadly a fastening of the general character described, since such is claimed in my pending application above referred to.

I claim:

1. A track structure comprising a fastener plate, a bracing and wedging member comprising a base portion and an upwardly projecting rail head engaging portion and also having an integral projection extending longitudinally therefrom in the direction in which the base is adapted to be driven for seating it in the fastener plate, and a curved deflecting channel in the plate into which the projection is adapted to be driven and deflected.

2. In railway track construction, the combination with a rail-seating member having an upward projection formed with a wet gin face of a rail-en 'a 'in member driven channel to receive and bend the said projeetion when said members are driven into engagement with each other; substantially as described. 7

4. A track structure, comprising a tie-plate and a rail brace member seated on the tieplate and between it and a rail also seated on the tie plate, the rail engaging member having an integral projection extending longitudinally therefrom, and the tie plate having a curved longitudinally eX-v tending deflecting channel to receive and deflect said pro ection, substantially as de scribed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. 7 V JOHN W. s'TEP E soN.

IVitnesses J 01in J. MANNING, ADOLPI'I. F. SEIBERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner'ef Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

